First Night On Pulse
by Tia-Lewise
Summary: Snow is comforted by Fang while everyone else sleeps. Not a romance fic, little bit of angst.


_I got Final Fantasy XIII on my birthday, the day after it came out in the UK (March 9th was when it came out here) and I love it, so I've decided to do a short but sweet fic on it! : )_

_And just for the record, Square Enix owns all this shizz, not moi._

_An update since I uploaded this fic yesterday- I got a pretty negative review, which goes as follows-_

_**From: Protoman ()**_**  
**_**-**_

_**Really nice and well done friendship fic. Though Snow and Fang were way out of**_**  
**_**character lol. Snow seemed way younger and smaller than he is (being a 21 year**_**  
**_**old giant), and his personality seemed more like hope than himself towards the**_**  
**_**end XD. Though maybe that was intentional, and you were trying to create a new**_**  
**_**type of Snow? And Fang seemed to treat Snow like a little baby even though**_**  
**_**her, Snow and Lightning are all 21. Heck, even Vanille is 19 in the game, only**_**  
**_**two years younger. Plus, Fang is only really comforting with Vanille, that's**_**  
**_**just part of who she is, she doesn't show much of a sweet side to anyone else.**_**  
**_**Like if this situation were to happen in the game, fang would either not**_**  
**_**really bother checking on snow and let him have alone time to protect his**_**  
**_**privacy since they're not close, or she'd just crack some jokes to try and**_**  
**_**make snow feel better, but ultimately would just tell him to man up n not be a**_**  
**_**wussy. Although the fic was still interesting of course, and showed a sweet**_**  
**_**dynamic, I just had a hard time believing it was actually them or that this**_**  
**_**would happen.**_

_So in response to this, I've altered a little of their personality to make them more like the characters in the game, though I believe as a fanfiction writer I can tweak the characters just a little. However, if it pleases more people, I'll keep them a little more as they were. _

_PS- I'm aware of how old everyone is. I check the FF Wiki every time I need to find something out._

Snow's long tan coat fluttered in the chilly night breeze and ruffled his blonde hair, sending it bouncing round his face. He stood on a small hill, staring out at the vast expanse of green, alien world.

It was the party's first night on Gran Pulse, and the self-proclaimed hero found he couldn't sleep. Lightning had dozed off with her back to a rock, her blade in hand and head on her knee. Hope and Vanille had huddled together for warmth, and Sazh was sprawled on his back, snoring; baby chocobo chick twittered quietly as its own snore. Fang sat with her long legs crossed and her head bowed, but it was impossible to tell whether she was awake or sleeping. Snow stretched his muscular arms and wandered away from the party to a pool, where he stooped and cupped some of the cool, clear water in his hands and raised it to his lips. When he had drunk, he sat back and made ripples in the water with his fingers, watching them fan out and reflect the many pinpricks of light in the dusky sky.

"_Serah would have loved to be here," _he thought to himself. _"I don't care what everyone on Cocoon says…this place is beautiful. I could just sit here with Serah and show her everything we have been denied all our lives…"_

He sighed heavily. "I miss you, Serah…"

Squeezing his eyes shut tight, he picked up a stone and skimmed it across the water.

"Snow?"

The soft, accented voice made Snow turn round curiously. The tall form of Fang made her way over to him and crouched down, looking curious. "Hey, Fang," Snow said quietly.

"Ill or something?" asked Fang, raising an eyebrow. "Get some sleep, man. You'll be needin' it."

"I'm fine," he replied, turning back to the water. "Bet you feel right at home, don't you? You and Vanille both; you're back at home."

Fang dipped the end of her lance in the water absently. "Yeah…a little. But till we go to Oerba, it won't be entirely the same." Brushing her messy black hair out of her eyes, she turned back to Snow. "Right, back to what I was gonna ask; what're you doin' out here where you could get your ass lost? Is it Serah again? Cos we told you; give it time!"

He pointed to his arm. "I swear the brand has more arrows on it. Do you think I won't be here to see Serah wake? Maybe I'll be a Cie'th by then-"

"Shhh…Snow. Shut up and let me look." Fang put down her lance and grasped his arm, inspecting his L'Cie brand. "Don't fret; it's only a few. You've still got some time. Frettin' will only speed it up, remember; try to keep a level head."

"Like you?"

She chuckled. "Yeah, like me. Miss Cool Cat, eh?"

"How do you stay so calm, Fang?" asked Snow as she let go of his arm. "I've always wondered."

Fang lay back and slipped her arms under her head, gazing at the twinkling stars and the occasional Wyvern that swooped overhead. "I suppose…I stay calm for Vanille," she said after a few minutes thought. "I don't want her to worry and speed up her brand's progress, so I figured if I don't worry, she won't. The girl means the world to me and I won't have her taken away from me just like that. Titan help the world if she becomes a Cie'th, for I'll tear the place apart!"

"Ouch," chuckled Snow, lying back with her. "You really love her, don't you?"

"Like she were my own, and she's always been as good as."

Snow sighed. "I wish Serah was here with me. Then I'd have someone to look after, like you do with Vanille."

He sniffed, wiping his eyes. Suddenly feeling sorry for him, Fang made a sympathetic noise and her thin arms went out, pulling the young man close. She had never done this to anyone before, save for Vanille, and the feeling was almost alien to her, but right now, she figured he needed a hug.

"There, there…" she whispered, stroking his cheek with her thumb. "Don' you fret now, Snow. I promise you, you'll be here to see Serah come out of her stasis. And when she does, you'll have all the time in the world with her."

Snow rested his head on Fang's shoulder and nodded. "Thanks, Fang."

"Don't mention it."

"But you promise?"

"I can pinky promise if it'll stop you worryin'."

He laughed and held up his little finger. "Go on then." Fang twined her little finger with his and laughed also.

"I absolutely promise you."

_Well, I thought it was sweet, but what about you? Practically the first time I've not done anything romantic, eh? So, reviews? : )_


End file.
